Atlanta record store nostalgia-Turtles, Peaches, etc.
In the 1970s, Turtle’s, Peaches and other record stores opened in Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Al Levenson started Turtle’s Record Store in 1977 and opened eight stores in 18 months. He had been working as a salesman for a national wholesale record distributor and thought record stores would be a good part-time side business. Turtle was apparently his college nickname at the University of Miami. (Atlanta Constitution, Dec. 1, 1978, “The Beat Goes On”)
Turtle’s announced the opening of its eleventh store in 1978, located in Forest Park. Other stores, as advertised in the Atlanta newspapers, were located at Belmont Hills in Smyrna, Market Square in Marietta, Sunshine City on Candler Road, Memorial Drive, Cromwell Square in Sandy Springs, Northeast Plaza on Buford Highway, Greenbriar K-mart Center, Old National Highway at I-285, Hawthorne Plaza in Mableton, and Southlake Mall.
Peaches was a national record store chain, based out of California. In Atlanta, Peaches Records & Tapes was located at 2282 Peachtree Road in 1975. Peaches expanded to two stores in Atlanta but the second one, located on Stewart Avenue, closed in 1980.
By 1981, Turtle’s was ahead of Peaches (in Georgia) and another record store called Oz. Bill King wrote for the Atlanta Constitution, “While the last six months have seen the main Oz Records store in Atlanta go out of business and the giant Peaches Records store in Atlanta limping along as its corporate parent filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, Levenson’s Turtle’s Records chain has continued on its merry way to domination of the local record market. (Atlanta Constitution, July 28, 1981, “Turtle’s is Leading the Race”)
According to founder Al Levenson, Turtle’s concept was to put their stores in convenient locations, keep them relatively small and offer good prices and discounts. Turtle’s had stamp and stamp savings books, similar to S & H Green stamps at grocery stores. They also had Turtle’s coins, which were a type of gift certificate.
Shopping malls were the location of Record Bar and Franklin Music. Franklin Music owners Scott Young was happy with his mall based business in 1981.
I enjoy playing some of my vintage albums today and remember having a record player as a child and teenager, which I used to play my 45s and albums. It seems department stores like Kresge’s, Woolworth’s and W. T. Grant sold records in the 1950s and 1960s. I don’t recall buying records until the 1970s. Please comment or send me an email at pasttensega@gmail.com with your fun memories of buying records in the Atlanta area during this time.
Speaking of fun, this link to an Atlanta Magazine photo of Peaches on Peachtree Road and the ad below for the 1978 personal appearance of Meatloaf at the Northeast Plaza Turtle’s might take you back in time!
A Turtle’s coin, from the collection a friend
$20 Turtles coin
Where can I cash this in?